The present invention relates to vehicle tailgates, and more particularly to vehicle tailgates that include a multifunction assembly extendable therefrom.
Conventionally, pickup trucks include a tailgate at the back of a bed that closes off a cargo box. Often times, the truck bed is not long enough to hold the cargo, so truck bed extenders have been developed. The truck bed extenders work in conjunction with the tailgate in order to provide additional length to the bed. Some designs for pickup truck bed extenders have flush mounted extenders that are stowed in the tailgate when not in use. Being out of sight when not in use presents a more attractive vehicle, but these designs are generally lest robust than is desired for cargo support and also provide for only a limited number of types of extender functions.
With the versatility expected of pickup trucks today, there may be many types of extender functions desired. For example, a bed extender (a horizontally extending structure from an open tailgate), a box extender (an upwardly extending structure from an open tailgate that mimics the function of a closed tailgate), an assist step (a downwardly extending structure from an open tailgate that can be stepped-on for assistance in entering the bed), a roof rack type function (an upwardly extending structure from a closed tailgate that works in conjunction with the vehicle roof to support long loads), a bed divider type function (a divider that separates the bed into two main cargo holding areas), and a bed storage area type function, (a divider that creates a small enclosed area in the bed for cargo). Preferably, such functions can be provided with simple, ergonomic movements of the assembly, while still allowing for a generally attractive appearance and taking up minimal space in the vehicle box when not in use.